Episodes

Coming in just under the wire is our first annual Christmas in July bonus episode! In it, the elves discuss the “worst” Christmas that every child eventually has to go through, and that every parent dreads. Excitingly, not only do Julia, Thom, and Anthony share their stories, but so do our listeners – including two elf spouses, and one elf sibling – via audio and text! Given the topic of discussion, it’s not nearly as much of a downer of an episode as one may suspect. In fact, it’s actually really fun! So make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, kick back, relax, and enjoy our special Christmas in July gift to you! (For those parents out there who normally listen with their young children, be warned! You may want to listen to this one alone, as this whole episode is dedicated to discussing belief in Santa Claus.)

Our first annual Christmas in July, Hallmark movie month comes to a close this episode in which the elves discuss the 2015, not-quite-Hallmark (but definitely one of those channels, most likely Lifetime) film "The Spirit of Christmas"! While atmosphere is in heavy supply this week, can holiday decorations, snow, and an extremely attractive man help this movie overcome a perplexing plot? While opinions about this movie range the entire spectrum, there is no daylight between our hosts who are all equally excited to dedicate an entire episode next week to the Harry Potter - book and movie - Christmas scenes! Also discussed this episode are the differences between Hallmark Christmas movies, and Christmas movies that air on channels similar to Hallmark. So settle in with a cup of hot chocolate, kick back, and crank that A.C. while you listen - and get excited that summer is quickly drawing to an end, and it will be *our* time soon! 

And we're back! We continue our Hallmark movie month this week by covering the 2014 film "The Nine Lives of Christmas"! Though a sweet story with cute cats, how will the movie hold up when ranking it on our Christmas canon list? And how will it fare against the three previous Hallmark films we've covered thus far - Mrs. Santa Claus, Pete's Christmas, and Northpole? Settle in with a cup of hot chocolate to find out, and enjoy the return of our "Question of the Week" segment! This week's question - "What are your unpopular Christmas opinions?" 

This week the elves kick off Christmas in July with their first Hallmark Christmas movie of the inaugural Hallmark Christmas movie month with the 2014 film, Northpole. As Christmas spirit is failing across the globe, can one elf and her newfound friend work their magic to bring Christmas spirit back to the world and save the Northpole? Can Anthony, Julia, and Thom find the holiday spirit in Hallmark Christmas movies? 

This week, the elves invite you to accompany them on a trip with Fozzie Bear and the rest of his Muppet pals in the 1987, made-for-TV classic, "A Muppet Family Christmas"! Long before Nick Fury began to assemble the Avengers on the big screen, but after Rankin/Bass ended up bringing together Rudolph and Frosty, this epic crossover event for the ages brought together the Muppets (and the Muppet babies!), the Sesame Street gang, and the inhabitants of Fraggle Rock for the holidays! As huge fans of the brand, will Julia, Thom, and Anthony deem this movie worthy of the Muppet name? And more importantly, will they think the movie succeeded on delivering the feelings they expect from a Christmas film? Turn the air conditioning down low to simulate that holiday weather because we need a little Christmas right now! And as if none of that is exciting enough for you, the hosts announce that in honor of Christmas in July, we're deeming July "Hallmark Movie Month"!  So get ready for us to cover a string of films that are sure to be heavy on the holiday atmosphere, if nothing else.  Enjoy everybody! 

Happy Leon Day, everyone! Come celebrate the fact that we are officially halfway to Christmas by joining Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they journey to the north pole aboard "The Polar Express", the 2004, animated-film directed by Robert Zemeckis and adapted from the book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. Will it fare better with the elves than Zemeckis' "A Christmas Carol" did, or will the same problems that plagued that Disney movie bring down the score of this film as well? Settle down and relax with a cup of hot cocoa to find out, and stick around for Julia's real-time reaction to the newest trailer for Illumination's, 2018 adaptation of "The Grinch". Enjoy! 

This week, the elves tackle the controversial, 2009, Disney-animated film, A Christmas Carol - the first true adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens' novella they've covered on the show so far! (Devoid of any Muppets, that is!) Though Julia, Thom, and Anthony all have differing opinions about this notoriously divisive movie, they're all in agreement that it's not a total write-off and about the fact that there is definitely good to be found within it. Join us as we discuss how good (or bad) of a job Jim Carrey did at bringing this iteration of Ebenezer Scrooge to life, debate what the film got right and got wrong, and examine just how closely this version of the famous holiday classic adheres to its iconic source material, amongst many other things. Also, toward the end of the episode, we announce a new giveaway in conjunction with next week's movie, 2004's The Polar Express! Enjoy! 

After an unintentional week off, we're back! In this episode, the elves discuss the spiritual sibling to A Bad Mom's Christmas - the 2017 holiday-comedy film, Daddy's Home 2! There are surprises aplenty in this episode, including right-off-the-bat when the hosts reveal where they stand on this movie. (Spoiler Alert: It's not necessarily where you think!) So sit back and enjoy this funny, wide-ranging, and personally revealing conversation about a pair of opposite fathers and grandfathers who are no doubt destined to meet a trio of bad mothers and grandmothers in an inevitable crossover film one day. 

Our annual television month concludes this week, and the elves could think of no better show to cover as a "last hoorah" than Friends! In this episode they discuss the four most Christmassy episodes of the hit-comedy ("The One Where Rachel Quits", "The One With The Routine", "The One With The Holiday Armadillo", and "The One With Christmas In Tulsa"), but do these yuletide stories reach the heights of the iconic Thanksgiving episodes that the show is famous for? For that matter, does this sampling of episodes represent the very best that Friends in general had to offer? Whether or not they do, the hosts have a blast talking about and quoting one of their favorite shows, and they reach a peak that hasn't been reached since they discussed Elf! So grab a cup of hot chocolate, sit back, and relax, because this is one episode you definitely don't want to miss!  

Television month continues this week, and we're discussing the four Christmas episodes of the musical, comedy-drama Glee! Between "A Very Glee Christmas", "Extraordinary Merry Christmas", "Glee, Actually", and "Previously Unaired Christmas", there's plenty to like, plenty to dislike, and - of course - plenty of music! (Which, let's face it, is the real reason most of us watched Glee in the first place!) So kick-back with your favorite holiday-related beverage, blast that air-conditining to make this hot summer month feel like winter, and get ready for some lively, sometimes gleeful (yet always funny) discussion and plenty of Christmas music!  

Television month continues with this week's installment in which the elves discuss The X-Files episode "How The Ghosts Stole Christmas". (Season 6, Episode 6.) Not since A Charlie Brown Christmas has anything we covered demonostrated as well as this one  just how lonely and depressing the holiday season can be for certain people. As huge fans of Mulder and Scully's early adventures, Julia, Thom, and Anthony have a lot of fun dissecting this story and talking about their histories with the show overall, in addition to debating just how successful the episode was at bringing out those Christmas feelings. Enjoy, everyone! And remember: "The Truth Is Out There"! 

It's May which means it's time for our inaugural Month of TV Christmas specials, and we're kicking it off with a look at The Simpsons' first five Christmas specials. Grab a cup of hot chocolate and sit down for some conversation irreverent enough for America's favorite yellow family!

Happy Life Day! This is our last episode to drop before the fourth of May, so to celebrate "May the Fourth" - a.k.a. "Star Wars Day" - the elves decide to tackle the infamous "Star Wars Holiday Special"! Besides asking themselves the usual question - "Does this movie pass the Linus Test?" - the hosts also debate two other questions with regards to this holiday adventure in a galaxy far, far away: is it a Christmas movie, and who exactly is the audience for this film? This episode isn't completely devoid of holiday joy, however, for it features the return of the "Christmas questions" segment of the show, and Anthony comes prepared with three to ask Julia, Thom, and the audience. 

This week, the elves cover another Christmas comedy film filled with sophomoric humor, sexual innuendo, and implied nudity in the form of A Bad Moms Christmas, written by the same people who came up with the story for Office Christmas Party - the first film we covered that was filled with sophomoric humor, sexual innuendo, and nudity. Does this one contain more heart and Christmas feelings than that one, or will it flounder and place below it on the list? Longtime listeners can probably guess in advance where Julia, Thom, and Anthony all fall on this movie, but that makes the episode no less fun to listen to! So enjoy this wide-ranging discussion about the star-studded 2017 film, and buckle-up in preparation for next week's foray to spend the holidays in a Galaxy, Far, Far Away. 

Christmas Cheer is in high supply this week as the elves tackle TLC's 2014, made-for-television mockumentary "The Secret Santa." Julia, Thom, and Anthony are all on the same page with this film, and absolutely gush over its emotional sentimentality as they discuss reporter Nancy Cameron's quest tracking down all of the Christmas miracles that Lucas A. Nast - a.k.a. Santa Claus - has brought to people throughout the years. In addition, the hosts talk about the various ways that our listeners keep the Holiday Season alive during the long, hot summer months. So if you're feeling your supply of Christmas Spirit beginning to dwindle as we continue hurtling through Spring, this is definitely an episode you don't want to miss!